ANOVOS take a look at the process that went into creating the Tatooine Stormtrooper helmet….

“Look, sir! Droids!”

Truth in advertising—this is my favorite Stormtrooper. Ever. I’ve always loved the look of the Desert Stormtroopers on Tatooine, or “Sandtroopers” as they came to be known. As a kid I would do whatever I could to make my Stormtrooper action figures look as dirty as possible trying to recreate the look. So yeah, this is a helmet I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. A long time.

When we set out to bring this particular Stormtrooper helmet to the fandom we of course wanted to ensure that it was as faithful to the original Sandtrooper design as possible. So with that in mind we went again into the Archive and found one of the most recognizable Stormtroopers ever—the Sandtrooper who pops into the frame and says, “Look, sir! Droids!”.

Now, the archive is filled with all manner of amazing things, but nothing brings back the feeling of being a kid in the theater watching Star Wars as much as holding a simple Stormtrooper helmet. And THIS helmet is one that we all remember seeing on screen.

Having found the helmet we wanted to recreate, we went to work examining every aspect of it. We started by carefully documenting every nuance of its intricate, painted, weathering pattern.

James is an active member of the Star Wars collecting community, and is the Brand Director for Jedi News. James is also the host of the Star Wars Collectors Cast, and co-host of RADIO 1138 on the Jedi News Network.